Holy Land Chronicles Day 4.

23rd December 2018.

On day 4 we swapped our rental car to go by public transport to our next sites; mainly because the plan was to go to Bethlehem which is in the Palestinian territory and so you cannot go in with an Israeli registered car (or at least we were told not to).

In Bethlehem we visited the place where tradition holds Jesus was born and also the field were the shepherds were when they were received the news of the messiah’s birth by the angels. At the church of the nativity (the church built over the place where Christ was born), there were throngs of people waiting to get in.

We ended the day by going to Mount Saba where a monastery has been built. The views from here are amazing. In the words of another tourist we met at the top of the mountain, he felt the presence of God.

Highlights of my day: Visiting and praying at the place where Christ was born; and going up to Mount Saba. It was terrifying at times while going up but getting there was totally worth it.

Enjoy the pictures.

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Holy Land Chronicles Day 3.

22nd December 2018.

Day 3 was an early start, 4.30am early I mean. This was because my guide host had arranged for us to attend mass at the Holy Sepulcher, the site of the crucifixion and burial of our Lord, at 5.30am.

It turned out sacrificing sleep to be at the site so early was the best decision as we were able to beat the crowds queuing to visit the tomb. 

Afterwards we set off for Masada national park which is a site which holds great significance for the Jews. You can read more about it via this link https://www.parks.org.il/reserve-park/גן-לאומי-מצדה/. 

We also visited the Dead Sea whose constituents (mud and water) are believed to have healing and restoration benefits. It’s mud is often used as an input in various cosmetic products and we found people taking mud baths near the shore. 

Afterwards we went to Qumeran Park, the site where the Dead Sea scrolls were found hidden in caves. On our way back to Jerusalem, we stopped at the site where John had baptized near the river Jordan but couldn’t get in as they had closed for the day.

Last activity for the day was to visit the house of Zechariah and Elizabeth where John the Baptist was horn and where Mary had visited. A church is now built over the site known as the Church if Visitation. The song of praise which Mary sang has been inscribed on the walls in various languages. I was pleased to see it in two Nigerian languages, Igbo and Yoruba. We finished off the day by having dinner in a nice restaurant, Mala bistro. Be sure to check it out.

High point: Visiting and venerating the site of the crucifixion and the tomb, and screaming into the mountains at Masada and hearing my words come back to me.

Enjoy the pictures.

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Holy Land Chronicles Day 2.

21st December 2018.

We started our day bright and early and set off for Cana in Galilee where we celebrated mass. From there we visited Tabgha which was the site of a number of biblical events. We visited the Sea of Galilee and the mount of the beatitudes. We also visited the village of Capernaum where Peter was from and lived. Again as with previous places, these have all been preserved as Holy sites.

High point of my day: Celebrating mass at the Church of the 1st miracle, you can all guess what my prayer intentions were at that site. 2019 is going to be ‘Cana Lit’.

Enjoy the pictures.

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